Nugent-Hopkins impressing early

Yes I know its early and yes I know the Canucks dressed a shameful roster last night but RNH has shown that he deserves to be an Oiler. The little things that he does on the ice will eventually turn into big things. RNH has shown that he has great vision on the ice with great passes to Smyth and Eberle, the way he strips opposing players of the puck and his defensive play.

RNH has done so much early on that even Ryan Smyth is impressed.
“Not only is he a humble kid away from the rink, but he sees the ice very well” said Smyth. “He has great speed and the puck doesn’t die with him, he makes a lot of great plays. Those are the type of things you just can’t teach".

The Edmonton Suns Robert Tychkowski put an article up today (and I quote) "Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, making his pre-season home ice debut, had a relatively quiet night, assisting on Eberle's goal for his only point of the game". Really? what game was he watching? Or maybe it is all about putting up points for Mr. Tychkowski. Did he not see the 3 or 4 great passes RNH made to Eberle or how RNH stripped opposing players of the puck? I just don't get how someone payed to watch the game missed that.

The only knock I see on RNH is his faceoff ability but that will come. How often do you see a young kid that is great on face-offs? Its something you get better at with experience and age.If RNH wants to remain an Oiler for the season all he needs to do is exactly what he has been doing the first 2 pre-season games.

@friesennhl on twitter

Oilers 2012 Draft watch

I know many of you are thinking, 'What the heck?'. With this past 2011 Draft now behind us, it's back to the grind for the amateur scouts of the Edmonton Oilers. In fact The Magnificent Bastard Stu MacGregor even said so himself this past Friday in a interview on 
'Oilers Now'.

I had been working on this for a bit already, so thought I should wait it out before starting to blog more on this topic. However, while I have been waiting for things to settle in regards to RNH, the masses have started before me throughout the blogging world and all over the scouting agencies.

There are several groups who have their listing of top 30, or top 10, 2012 Draft prospects. I am going to give my top 15. Let's call it...hmm...

"Rev's Top 15, Oilers 2012 Draft Watch"

The reason behind the 15 top selections is because of the placement I see the Oilers likely to finish the season in. Some have the Oilers sneaking into a play-off spot. I like that idea but not to positive they can improve that many points in a single season. The worst the Oilers could finish would be worst over all (3rd year in a row). I sure hope we are not 30th place, cause that would mean, we had a lot of injuries again. Not to mention it would also mean we did not see the improvement from players like Hall, Eberle or Paajarvi. Putting that all aside, I am estimating the Oilers will end up picking somewhere between 15th-30th over all. (the reason for"Rev's Top 15 Oilers 2012 Draft Watch".  )

Many seasons in the past, most Oiler fans had no clue of the players available to pick from in the NHL entry draft other then what they had been fed the last few months leading up to the draft. My thought is, 'Why not follow the higher ranked player's ourselves'? I mean, doesn't draft time seem a little more exciting when you know more then 2 or 3 available players? If the Oilers can improve say 5 spots and pick 25th in the 2012 NHL draft, would it not mean more to us as Oiler fans if we were a little more educated on possible players to draft?

So, having said all that, I came up with the idea to have a list of 15 players to rank throughout the year, which we can all possibly follow. Starting the first week of the NHL regular season I will be posting "Rev's Top 15 Oilers 2012 Draft Watch". This should be fun and also very interesting to see the development of the players and their progression throughout the year. I generally have done this on my own the past couple season's, but look forward to having more time to really dissect the class of 2012. Week 1 will be my rankings, followed by the 1st over all ranking and so forth, each week, until we have covered the top 15 I will be listing. At the end of those ranking, I will give a updated ranking. (estimating that will be in late January) Should there be new players who have jumped up in their ranking, we will take time to discuss more on them as well as those who may have fallen back behind my original projected top 15. As the weeks go by, I will be giving little updates of games, injuries and anything of special note on the various prospects via twitter.

Remember, while you may just be interested in knowing the potential draft picks for 2012, what we really want to do here at oilersjambalaya is take a closer look at who our NEXT potential Oiler Draft pick will be. If at anytime, there is a player who I have not mentioned and you think he deserves props and a good look, let me know. Need some info on the player? Ask away. I will try to do my best to get whatever information I can get for you. The draft is deep in higher end talent this 2012 draft where defence and centerman are plentiful. Anyone in the top 15, I would be happy to see in Oiler silks sometime in the future. #GO #OILERS

For continued information on Oiler and Barons news and 2012 NHL draft watch, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev

Jays Oilers early Preview

Summer is over and hockey is back. Could things be any better? The Oilers made many changes over the summer, some good and some not so good. I will go in depth on some of the moves and what I see happening with the Oilers this season. This is my first blog for Oilers Jambalaya and i have not blogged much the past year so be nice lol.

Letting Cogliano go could end up being the worst thing the Oilers have done the past few seasons. Cogliano is young and has shown he will be a reliable 2-way player. The Oilers seem to have a history of giving up on players when they are still young. One example would be Jason Arnott but there are many more.

Sam Gagner holds his future in his own hands this year. To remain an Oiler he will need to step up his game. Nothing short of 55-60 points will do and a vast improvement on his faceoffs. The Oilers simply have to much depth at center after the free agent signing of Belanger and RNH being drafted 1st overall and Gagner could end up being the odd man out if he doesn’t impress the coaching staff before the trade deadline.

Its much to early to tell but from what I have seen from Ryan Nuggent-Hopkins I can honestly say ive been very impressed. The little things he does on the ice adds up to a lot. Hopkins sees the game better than I ever could of imagined he would at his young age. Yes it is early with only 1 pre-season and 2 rookie games under his belt but he has shown signs that he will be every bit the player the Oilers hope he will be.

Ryan Smyth could be the best thing the Oilers did this summer. Not for his offensive skill but for the way he plays the game and how the young guys will see that and know what needs to be done to win. Smyth plays 100 percent every shift every game. He is willing to take a beating in front of the net and never scared to make the hard play. If even 1 or 2 of the young guys learn something from Smyth then bringing him back will have proven to be a success.

Anton Lander is another guy who has really impressed me early on. He is a guy with good hands who is willing to do what it takes to win. As Dan tencer tweeted “Lander hates losing as much as anyone ive ever talked to.Guy despises it”. Is that not the attitude we need to see more of in Edmonton?

Defence is what scares me about the Oilers. There was a time when fans thought we had to many puck moving defenseman and a short few years later we are now begging for one. I cant help but think that if we would have kept Grebs two seasons ago he could be that guy.

There are some young guys who look like they will eventually step up on Defense but as we all know it usually takes years to develop a defenseman so a trade may be the best option here. I will say however that I was impressed with Petry at times last season and with Tulupov getting an invite he could work himself into the rotation by seasons end. The Oilers also have a couple other young guys who could step up.

Another big question about the Oilers comes in goaltending. Can Khabibulin have a bounce back year? Is Dubnyk ready to be a starter? I see Khabi having a good year yes but he will only play 40 or so games this season with Dubnyk getting the remaining starts. I just don’t see Dubnyk ever becoming a true number 1 but I have been wrong before. I see him becoming a good back-up and feel the Oilers need to go after a true number 1 after this season.

Overall my way to early to tell prediction would be the Oilers finishing in tenth or eleventh spot in the west right behind or ahead of the flames. I see Petry earning a spot on the roster while Lander, Tulupov and Hartikinen getting early call ups due to injury.

You can follow me on twitter at @Friesennhl

"Split Decision"

What if the fate and the future of the Edmonton Oilers was in your hands? What if it was up to you, to decide the next decision as owner, President or General manager of the team? Would you use the wisdom of the scouts, coach's and manager's in making big decisions? Or would you give the fans a chance to voice their vote, give their opinion?  After all, we know the fans can't be wrong. Or can they?

Well, it was a interesting night on many accounts. Got a chance to take in the one game at 'Rexall Place'  tonight and came out happy to see hockey again. I will admit, after the first period, I was just glad to have hockey back, but was starting to get that feeling of 'here we go again'. Turned out, the Oilers got back into the game and started really making some things happen. All in all, it was a good night. Enjoyed the folks around us, talked lots with Oiler fans, filled them in, on  lesser known players and even got to cheer after seeing some goals scored.

I planned to listen to the radio broadcasts on the way home to get updated on anything from the Chicago game in Saskatoon and then catch the game replay from streaming video online. Upon getting home, I find out I can't see the replay of the video feed. Also found little information was given. In fact I had more information from twitter then I did anywhere else, including sports radio coverage. For me, the Oilers dropped the ball on this one. Felt more like this was about working on the team game for the players and less about the fans. I can get it, but one problem with that....'the fans pay the bills".

So with saying all that, I just want to let you know, I have very little information from what happened in Saskatoon except the limited highlights. The game itself here in Edmonton carried a lot of mistakes from both teams early on. Once the players started getting their legs going, the cob webs started to unsettle and it started looking like a NHL hockey game. We all know it's the first game of the year, players are trying to get their legs going and establish chemistry with line mates, not to mention just get their timing down. It was exciting to see the 'All Swedish Line' do well. Sure they took 4 penalty's but again it's pre-season, it's the time to get that all out of the system isn't it? Fedun played another great game until taken out by a boarding hit by Powe. Hordichuck laid a crushing check and had to face Kassian in a fight to the ice. He held his own even though he was definitely out sized in this one. What was his secret to staying in the fight and not getting his face messed up? Throw way more punches then you receive and don't stop til it's over. Seriously, he may have lost the fight, but besides his helmet sent flying by a big punch by Kassian, he was speed bagging (except rarely hitting much) Kassian.

Would have been exciting to see a overtime match the first game of the year with real competition but you can't have it all on the first night can you? In Saskatoon, the 'Nuge' along with Smyth and Eberle stole the show by the sounds of it. Except for Josh Green who would not be upstaged this night. He appeared to do well on the scoreboard despite his limited time on ice. Smyth looks to be a ageless wonder (let's hope that continues) Eberle looks to still have the 'Midas Touch' and RNH continues to show why he was selected #1 over all in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Coming back to my opening comments. What if, it was really up to us fans to decide who stays up and who does not? The reason I bring this up? Well, after reading blogs all summer, see all the comments by fans,  read the opinions by scouts and the so called experts, I really do believe that many of us believe we can make decisions for this team better then management. I am not saying this to get your hair up and to start a debate, but c'mon Oil fans. Actually, it's not only us Oiler fans, it's the MSM as well.

The problem that I am seeing is, the opinions are not balanced both ways. (ok, I know, that's my Opinion) Let me explain. If someone plays well in pre-season, people get all excited and start believing their the next ( fill in blank). Of course , some will say, wait and see. let's see if this player can carry this through to the regular season. OK, that's fair, let's do that. But what about the other way around? What if they struggle early on? Could that not be the actual player just shaking off the dust from a season off? Can't we give them till the regular season and see where they are at? I guess what I am saying is, how can we jump all over a player cause of one bad game, yet in the same breath , praise another player cause of a good game? Is it not a wait and see for them both? Now granted, based on practice, based on previous years and background, we may already (management I am meaning, not fans) know their potential ceiling or lack of. However if someone is not known to fare as well in their past history, yet has one good game, should that not be considered?

Past history tells us a lot about a player. If a player is known to show signs they are lacking in a area of their game and it shows in the pre-season game, chances are good, they have not improved enough to warrant a continued look. On the other hand, should a player show continued improvement and elite level skills throughout their career to date, a good showing in a pre-season game, could be a sign that player is showing exactly the player they were thought to be.

Confused yet? I think I am almost confusing myself. My main point as a fan is, 'why do we think we know more then the actual management, coaching and scouts?' I have no problem someone arguing a point that has some merit and thought process into it, but let's be realistic here. There are many factors to making a decision as to who will be in the Edmonton Oilers roster for the duration of the year.

The best example I can use is the 'Nuge'. Tonight at the hockey game I had a discussion with some folks about the possibility of RNH staying with the Oilers or being returned to Jr's. Either way, he WILL be a Oiler. If not this year, then next year for certain. It doesn't matter to me either way, however some are already sending him back to Jr. My only question at this point is why? If you told me, we will wait and see how he fares against tougher competition, I would be ok with that argument, but to say he has to go back, because he is too small? Really? Is that all you got? I have already covered some of the argument to that in a earlier blog called "Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ready for PRIMETIME?"

(check out what Oiler staff,players and coach's have said about RNH and his size)

How do you decide if someone is too small? Because their too Short? Too Slender? Too Lanky? They look like a teenager? 'Sorry kid, back to Jr's for you!' What if they are a better player then your other option's? You still send them down? I understand Entry level Contracts, One way contracts etc...What I don't understand, is why some so adamantly believe they know better then the professionals who make a living doing this. Give me good meaningful reasons why RNH or anyone else for that matter should be sent packing at the end of camp and I am all ears. Just use reason and logic, not senseless thought statements. The one statement given to me tonight on why RNH needs to go back to Jr's (you know who you are, Mr.Hemsky fan) was, "A friend of mine who works in the medical field says RNH is TINY, no way he can take a hit without being crushed. He has to go back and get bigger". Maybe he is right, maybe he needs to build up his core strength more. I don't know, all I can say is, til this point, he has looked pretty good. The 'Nuge' has shown nothing to the Oiler staff that he needs to go back to the Red Deer Rebels. Now that could change within a game or two, but right now, he continues to perform and perform well.  All hail "the NUGE"!

p.s. (I gave this wonderful Oiler fan our website address and told him to please comment in here if I am wrong and RNH does not remain with the Oilers for the season. My question is, 'will he comment in here if I am right?')

If the Oilers were in your hands, what would you do? What is your logic behind your decision? What about Hartikanen? How about Lander? Tough decisions that can affect the future of your club if not handled properly. For me, I will leave that up to the Oilers management and continue to sit on my soapbox, yelling and judging every decision the Edmonton Oilers make. In the meantime, and in between time, that's it, for another addition of 'hockey tonight'!

Edmonton Oilers 2011 Pre-Season

1 WIN 1 LOSS = 2 POINTS

For continued information on Oiler and Barons news and 2012 NHL draft watch, you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/revingev

EdmontonOilers.com Is Now iPhone And iPad Friendly

I tried watching the Joey Moss cup the other day on my iPhone and it wouldn't play the video. I was pretty sad about this. Until today...

EdmontonOilers.com is now iPhone and iPad friendly. You can watch the videos and they now have an app for your phone or iPad. Simple to use and very user friendly. I can't thank the Oilers enough for doing what they had to do to make this happen. Our lives just got easier.

**THERE IS NOT AN APP IN THE APPLE APP STORE YET** Go to EdmontonOilers.com to get the mobile iPhone version.

All we need now is an Oklahoma City Barons app. FYI, there is a Stockton Thunder app for the iPhone.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-